The World of Tanks Chronicles: The Eastern Front
by Smartguy96
Summary: In the fall of 1939, German forces invade Poland and press on into the USSR. Armored forces rule the battlefield as the Red Army tank divisions and the Panzerwaffe clash in massive engagements with the fate of Eastern Europe at stake.
1. Prologue

**Here it is! The revival of the Chronicles that I promised earlier today. As I explained in my announcement, this will be less about the game and more about the story. Obligatory Warnings and Disclaimers: This story contains mild language and semi-graphic violence. I don't own World of Tanks. All characters are either historical or of my own creation.**

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It all could have been so different. In another world, the governments of the Western European powers might have objected to the German invasion of Poland. They didn't. On September 1, 1939, the German army surged over the Polish border. Three days later, the British parliament voted not to get involved, leading the French to follow suit. In the two great western powers, isolationism had won, and within a month Poland was subjugated. With no opposition from the west, Hitler's ambitions turned towards the Soviet Union. Believing the Soviets to be unprepared for a war, the German forces rushed to take as much territory as possible before the onset of the brutal Russian winter. The Red Army, far from unprepared but very much on the back foot, made life as hard as they could for the attackers but were continually forced to give ground. By mid-November, winter started to set in, and with it the German advance began to falter, but they had pushed deep into Soviet territory. The battle lines stretched from Narva in the north through Minsk, Kiev and south to Odessa. The Germans were racing to capture as much territory as possible before the winter storms halted all progress, but with every mile taken Soviet resistance became fiercer. With just weeks before the worst of winter began to set in, the pressure was on the Germans to score a decisive victory and finally break through the massed defenses. Success would mean a clear shot at Moscow and Stalingrad.

Elsewhere in the world, Germany's main ally, the Empire of Japan was bogged down by fiercer than expected resistance in China. The Italians had promised support in the event of a war in Europe but lacked the expansionist drive to start the fight themselves. With the other world powers remaining isolationist, the conflict stayed far more limited than many in Germany had feared. The Red army was all that stood between the Nazis and control of Eastern Europe…


	2. This is War

**November 17, 1939; 13:30**

 **Minsk, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic**

 _Dimitry Konavalov_

Junior Lieutenant Dimitry Konavalov was not having a good day. This morning, he had received news that his father had been badly injured in an air raid on his hometown of Leningrad, and now the dammed Germans had launched a full-scale attack in the middle of his lunch. He supposed he shouldn't to be too upset with the situation at hand. The German invasion had caught his nation completely off guard, and Minsk represented the first time on this part of the battlefield that the Red Army was able to put up a serious defense. So far, their efforts had been successful, and the fighting remained confined to the forests and fields east of the city long enough for an evacuation to be completed. However, the Soviet defenders were being forced back, kilometer by kilometer, until they were pinned against the city itself.

From his position, hidden in the forest on the northern flank of the main German assault, Dimitry could see the uniform shapes of Soviet built apartment blocks. He knew that the open fields and forests would soon give way to urban combat. He didn't worry for himself, or the rest of his platoon of five tanks. Their KV-1s would be better suited to the close quarters fighting than anything the Germans could send up against them. Rather, he worried for the much more numerous T-34s, whose sloped armor had been proven not as impenetrable as the crews liked to think, especially by the new, 75mm armed Panzer IVs that were starting to make an appearance. So far, Soviet armor had been the main force keeping the German blitzkrieg at bay, but in the cities, their effectiveness might be more limited.

"Guardian 2-1, Red Star," A voice over the radio broke Dimitry out of his thoughts. Guardian 2-1 was his radio callsign (2nd Guards Tank Corps, 7th armored company [callsign guardian] 2nd platoon, lead tank), and Red Star was the callsign for Soviet command in the region, currently led by General Konstantin Rokossovsky.

"Red Star, Guardian 2-1. Go ahead," he replied.

"Guardian 2-1, Red Star advises you commence ambush once the group passing to your south is in range."

Dimitry scanned the area through the leafless trees around him, catching sight of three platoons of five Panzer IIIs each moving past him together at what he estimated to be a range of 2500 meters. "Guardian 2-1 copies. Commencing attack now, out," he said before changing radio frequencies to contact the rest of his platoon. "Guardian 2-1 to platoon, target the Panzer IIIs passing to our south, range about 2500 meters. Fire on my fire," he ordered.

Dimitry turned his attention to within his own vehicle. "Loader, AP. Gunner, target the lead tank."

"AP up!" The loader, Jacob Zaitsev called, slamming a 76mm shell into the breach of KV-1's L-11 main gun.

"Target identified," The gunner, Alexander Kalashnikov said, zeroing the gunsights on one of the enemy tanks ahead.

Last month, Dimitry had been involved in a battle near Baranovichi, where he had seen two entire companies of T-34s destroyed by German tanks that had maneuvered through a forest thought impassable to armor. The soviets had lost 45 tanks, and 145 of 180 tankers were killed, to what was believed to be just 10 or 15 of the new long barreled 75 armed Panzer IVs. He took some small pleasure in turning the tables today. "Fire!"

"On the way!" Alexander said, warning the loader to get his arms clear lest he lose them to the gun's recoil. Dimitry watched as the shot struck the front of the panzer III at an almost 80 degree angle and skipped harmlessly off. Two more shots hit the vehicle and it shuddered to a halt. The other two tanks in his platoon had aimed for the trailing vehicle, with somewhat less success. One shot had struck low on the tank, tearing away the forward return roller but otherwise leaving it unharmed, while the other had missed completely, falling to the ground 200 meters short of the target. The 14 surviving panzer IIIs turned towards their assailants and charged.

 _What the hell do they expect to do_ Dimitry thought. Conventional wisdom suggested that five to one numerical superiority or a significant technological advantage was necessary to successfully assault an entrenched defense, and this group of Germans had neither. Their 50mm guns had no hope of penetrating the front of a KV-1 even from close range.

"They're coming right at us!" the commander of tank 3, Viktor Kerzhekov shouted with a note of fear.

"Stand fast my friend," Dimitry responded. "They cannot hope to defeat us. Fire at will." He took cover behind the open hatch at the top of the turret, wondering yet again how the Red Army expected him to fight with the hatch closed when he couldn't see forward. Evidently the Germans knew it too, as they sprayed machine gun fire across the front of the Soviet tanks, forcing Dimitry to drop down into the turret completely and slam the hatch shut behind him. Looking out the vision ports to either side he could see his other tank commanders doing the same thing. "Alex, I can't see a damned thing like this," he told his gunner. "Use your best judgement. Jacob, keep the AP shells coming unless I tell you otherwise."

The next several minutes passed in a blur. With his forward vision limited to a small periscope, Dimitry struggled to register the battle from his gunner's reports. His awareness crystalized when Ivan Maslov, his driver called out, "Two tanks stopping in front of us! They're going to fire!"

The five man crew was momentarily stunned by a 50mm shell impacting their KV-1s gun mantlet and sailing away with a deafening ring. Dimitry recovered first. "Return fire on that tank," he ordered.

"Already planning on it. On the way!" Alex responded, firing again. "Target disabled," he reported a moment later, "just three left."

"Last round off the rack," Jacob said as he took the last of the 76mm shells from the ready rack and slammed it into the breech.

"Acknowledged. On the way!" The crew fired off another five rounds, albeit much slower since Jacob had to reach into the ammo racks under the floor for each shell, before Alex finally called out, "All targets disabled."

"Guardian 2-1 to platoon, all targets disabled. Cease fire, cease fire," Dimitry relayed to the other vehicles under command. Unsurprisingly, the suicidal charge across more than two kilometers of open ground had ended in disaster. The German formation had scored maybe a dozen ineffective hits on his platoon and lost all fifteen of their tanks. The crews of the last few tanks, which had gotten within 400 meters of their position, had been slaughtered by the KV-1s' hull mounted DT machine guns as well. Dimitry was both relieved to make it out unscathed and appalled by the unnecessary waste of life and equipment on the part of the German commander. However, the tide of the battle was beginning to shift, leaving little room for unnecessary thought.

"Mayday! Mayday! This is Hammer 3-2 transmitting on the command channel," someone called out over the radio. "My platoon leader is down and we are being forced back by a group of panzer IIIs. Request immediate support."

"Hammer 3-2, Red Star, fall back along Saranhovicha. I'll get you some support," General Rokossovsky responded, referring to the street that Hammer platoon 3 was guarding the entrance to.

"Okay, falling back," the tanker replied.

"Guardian 2-1, Guardian 2-1, Red Star," Rokossovsky called out.

"Red Star, Guardian 2-1," Dimitry said, switching his radio back to the command frequency, "we copied the mayday. I assume you want us to assist."

"Guardian 2-1, confirm your sector is secure first."

"That's affirmative, we just deflected a massed charge. It should be some time before they can try again."

"In that case fall back along Prytyckaha, then take Labanka south to Hareckaha. Hold the Saranhovicha-Hareckaha intersection once the T-34's pass you."

"Guardian 2-1, roger. Guardian 2, roll out!"

 _Felix Borodin_

For all the success other forces were having, Sergeant Felix Borodin was in trouble. His platoon commander had been killed, gunned down while trying to escape his burning tank, which left Felix in charge of the three surviving T-34s. Not helping matters, the lack of a cupola meant the only vision he had was through the gunsight and vision port to his right, making situational awareness all but impossible.

The surviving tanks of Hammer 3 were currently falling back in the hopes of getting reinforcements before the Panzer IVs in front of them broke through into the Soviet back lines. "Loader, keep the AP coming. All tanks, continue reversing and fire at will," Felix ordered. "Just another 400 meters to the intersection." He pulled the trigger of his tanks 76mm main gun, and was pleasantly surprised when the round actually hit one of the German tanks in its lower glacis, bringing it to a halt.

"We've reached the intersection sir," the driver reported.

"Fan out. hold them here until our reinforcements arrive."

"Hammer 3-2, 3-5. They're right on top of us!" a panicked call came from one of the other tanks.

Sure enough, Felix could see a pair of Panzer IVs actually driving past the Soviet tank. He fired at the closest one, and did manage to hit it, but two 75mm shots rang out against the T-34, which immediately erupted in flames. "We're next," he said to his crew, grimly accepting his inevitable fate. "Prepare to bail out. It's been an…" he was interrupted by a massive explosion the turret of one of the Panzer IVs went flying into the air. Felix looked out the viewport to his left and saw a platoon of KV-1s rolling in at full speed and moving to block the road. Salvation had arrived.

 _Dimitry Konavalov_

"Guardian 2-1 to platoon, sound off in order of travel."

"2-3, right behind you."

"2-2."

"2-4."

"2-5, bringing up the rear."

"Copy all. The enemy push is coming from the west, on our right. Guardian 2-1 will pull into the left side of the street. 2-3, I want you on the right, angled towards the sidewalk. 2-2, pull in behind us, angle as necessary and fire between our two tanks. 2-4 cross the street and reverse in behind me, watching the south. 2-5, spin around and reverse in behind 2-3, covering the north."

"Contact! Panzer IVs down the street!" Alexander shouted as their KV-1 crossed the open road.

"Ivan, hard right! Angle! Angle!" Dimitry called. The tank spun around, driving across the street at a 45 degree angle as a German shell slammed into the upper side armor and ricocheted away. Behind them, Viktor's tank pulled around the corner at the same angle and made a 180 degree turn to end up angled the opposite direction on the other side of the street, while the remaining three vehicles in the platoon took up position as ordered. "Alex, return fire."

"On the way!" The return shot, fired before the tank had stopped moving, sailed over the top of the German vehicle. "Damn, missed!" Alex called out.

"Reengage! Loader AP. How many rounds do we have on the rack?"

"4 rounds, including this one," Jacob responded, slamming another shell into the breach of the 76mm cannon. "Up!"

"On the way!" Alex fired again, this time striking the lower glacis of the Panzer IV, which shuddered to a halt, its transmission destroyed by the shell. The crew bailed out and started running towards the soviet tanks.

"What the hell are they doing?" Dimitry asked nobody in particular before shouting at his crew, "don't let them get near us! Take 'em out!"

"Yes sir!" the tank's bow gunner, Vitaly Kazoluski, replied. A native of Minsk, Vitaly was only too happy to deprive the Germans of a chance to do more damage to his hometown. His 7.62mm DT machine gun made short work of the tankers, even Alexander engaged and knocked out another enemy tank with the KV-1's main gun.

 _Felix Borodin_

For nearly three minutes, Felix just sat in place, savoring the fact that he was still alive. He simply watched as the KV-1 platoon that had saved his surviving two tanks took up positions guarding the intersection they had just crossed until a radio call broke him out of his contemplation.

"Hammer 3-2, 3-3, those KV's are about to be flanked from the south. I think we've got an opening to get behind that group."

"3-2, roger, I see it. Let's flank 'em, head left and follow me! Driver, move out. Loader, AP! Refill the ready rack and shuffle the remaining ammo as needed."

While the two T-34's repositioned, Felix's loader was thus occupied with shifting 76mm shells around so he had the best possible access to them during the upcoming engagement.

 _Dimitry Konavalov_

"Mayday! Mayday! Guardian 2-5, they've got our side from the south!" came a desperate call over the radio. "Right track destroyed, we're stuck!"

"Guardian 2-4, pull out, cover 2-5!" Dimitry ordered. "2-3, standby, you may need to support them."

Guardian 2-5 had failed to angle their vehicle correctly and ended up presenting a flat side to the approaching Germans, which they had taken advantage of but failed to disable the soviet tank with the first few shots. The KV-1 of guardian 2-4 pulled forward from its position on the corner, presenting the well angled and armored front of the vehicle to the southern group of enemies and covering the exposed side of Guardian 2-5's tank.

"Guardian 2-1, 2-4, there's too many! We can't hold on our own!"

"2-2, turn around and support 2-4. 2-3, with me, keep fighting."

"Up! Last round off the rack!" Jacob called out after loading the fifth and final round of ready ammunition.

"Got it. On the way!" Alex responded, firing at yet another Panzer IV. "They won't have much of a road to use at this rate," he noted. 4 tank corpses low littered the middle of the road, forcing any additional German tanks to maneuver around their former allies. Unfortunately, with the Soviet tanks now out of ready use ammunition and reloading slower, several tanks were able to do just that.

"Guardian 2-1, 2-3, they're closing in!" Viktor shouted, starting to panic slightly.

"2-4 is out of ready rounds, we can't hold… wait… we're on fire! Bail out! Bail out!" In trying to cover the stricken tank of Guardian 2-5, 2-4 had pulled entirely around the corner but did not correct their vehicle's angling. A 75mm shell from one of the advancing Panzer IV's had penetrated the KV-1's side armor and started a fire in the engine, forcing the crew to bail out and take cover behind their burning tank. The driver and loader never made it that far, gunned down as they tried to exit the vehicle.

"Hold the line at all costs!" Dimitry ordered his remaining tanks. "We can't let them through." Although his voice continued to carry staunch defiance, Dimitry was preparing himself for the worst-case scenario. He fully expected to die or be taken prisoner before the end of the day.

 _Felix Borodin_

The two T-34s had circled as close as to the German tanks as they dared and now found themselves behind the platoon of 5 Panzer IV's. Felix watched as one of the KV-1s, apparently exposing itself to protect a comrade, was struck in the rear and caught fire. He saw the crew try to bail out, but only three of them made it. The second crewman to exit through the hatch on the front of the hull was gunned down, and slumped lifelessly over the front of the vehicle. One of the turret crew fared even worse. Shot as he tried to make his way off of the turret, the man fell onto the back of the vehicle, where an engine fire was raging. He flailed around on the engine deck momentarily before falling off, clothing on fire, in front of the German vehicles. The burst of machine gun fire that ended his life was a mercy.

"Damn it!" Felix cursed. "We have to engage now. Firing!" he advised his platoonmate, selecting a target and engaging it with his tank's 76mm cannon.

"Hammer 3-3, engaging," the other tank commander reported, firing his own main gun at a different tank. One Panzer IV's engine caught fire, and another's turret was blown off by the detonation of its ammunition.

"That's for our comrades!" Felix shouted. "No survivors! Cut them down! Loader, AP!"

His loader slammed another shell into the breach as his hull machine gunner opened up on the German tankers emerging from their stricken vehicles.

Within a minute of the first shell being fired, 5 German tanks were turned into smoking wrecks, and 17 tankers lay dead on the ground. The other 8 never made it out of their vehicles as Felix, enraged by the brutality he had seen, kept shooting until every tank either caught fire or suffered an ammo rack detonation.

 _Viktor Kerzhekov_

A few moments ago, Viktor had been bracing himself to die. He had seen one of his platoon's tanks disabled, and another knocked out. Two of the tankers from the destroyed vehicle never made it to safety, and he had thought for sure he would suffer the same fate. Instead, the T-34s that Guardian 2 had been sent south to save had saved them in return, and Viktor swore that he would find those men after the battle was over and buy them a drink.

 _After Action Report: Battle of Minsk 17/11/39_

When night fell over Minsk on the 17th of November, 1939, the battle lines remained where they had been for the past five days. The charge against Hammer 3, and Guardian 2's battle to relieve the beleaguered T-34 platoon was the highlight of the day. Elsewhere on the battlefield, Soviet troops continued to hold off the German armored force, which had gained ground faster than the mostly nonmechanized infantry and artillery units supporting them, resulting in the offensive stalling out at the next major city. Soviet troops continued to hope for winter to set in quickly and bog down the German offensive before they lost another city…

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 **AN:** **I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Schedule wise, I'm going to school full time and working part time so updates will probably be infrequent and dependent on my having the time/energy/desire to work on the story. I anticipate releasing 1-2 chapters per month. Chapter two is partially written so hopefully it won't take too long.** **До свидaния!**


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